NHD: Sennheiser HD 490 Pro

[Jarick]

I ordered a stereo 1/4 to rca cable to hook up my schiit headphone amp through my Apollo to see if there’s a difference there. The Apollo from what I can tell should have a solid dac so should be able to swap in a dedicated headphone amp if it makes a difference.

 

[László]

I ordered a stereo 1/4 to rca cable to hook up my schiit headphone amp through my Apollo to see if there’s a difference there. The Apollo from what I can tell should have a solid dac so should be able to swap in a dedicated headphone amp if it makes a difference.

I don't know anything about that amp - but I sure hope you get the improvement I've described with the one I use! Here's to good luck!

 

[Jarick]

I don't know anything about that amp - but I sure hope you get the improvement I've described with the one I use! Here's to good luck!

It's a pretty common entry level headphone amp, nothing special but it's pretty well regarded for the price ($120 USD). I've had mine for 5 years but rarely used it.

Got it hooked up and there's definitely a difference. It's not night and day but it's certainly noticeable. The Schiit Magni sounds cleaner overall with more clarity, seems less compressed or bloated in the bass, and it's less harsh sounding. I feel like I can turn it up louder without being bothered by the sound which might mean it's less distorted.

Listening to "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis and with the Magni I could hear some kind of analog limiting/clipping on the vocals at about 1:00 which I've never heard before in hundreds of listens. I can hear it now too with the Apollo but never noticed it before. And then later in the song when the full band is playing, again the Magni sounds a bit cleaner while the Apollo sounds kind of overwhelming if that makes sense, like I have to turn it down a bit as it bothers me?

Looking up some measurements, the Magni can put out 267 mW at 300 ohms where the Apollo can put out 78 mW at 300 ohms. So it's possible the increased clarity and lower harshness is due to having more power on tap (more dynamics) and less distortion?

Really intrigued with this, so I'll have to mess around some more with different headphones.

 

[newholland]

its gonna definitely make a big difference in terms of overall clarity and listenability. the schiit stuff ive had was pretty lean sounding- which really isnt the worst sin given the price- but i suspect youd get better as you get out of their 'micro sized' line as power sections get better, as does the output power.

like i was saying- you get into two plus watts of output with a solid state unit, and you have a LOT of headroom for most 250ohm cans that you'll notice. its not just an output game, for sure- but it sure doesnt hurt

 

[laxu]

At one point I was considering buying a headphone amp for my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pros (250 Ohms) and Sennheiser HD6XX (300 Ohms), but when I compared the Fractal FM3, an old Denon AV receiver, and a couple of old stereo hifi receivers for headphone out, they were all pretty much the same and didn't make a marked difference compared to my Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd gen.

While the Fractal and hifi stuff was able to drive the headphones to higher volumes, at the volumes I normally use I just didn't spot any real difference.

 

[Jarick]

I've been seeing a lot of really cool old vintage receivers. Back in college I got my dad's old hi-fi gear which was something like a Marantz SR1000 and an old turntable with some floor standing speakers. I used to listen to AM radio a lot through that setup as I couldn't get the turntable working all that great. No idea what happened to all that stuff, but I'm starting to keep an eye out for these.

 

[laxu]

I've been seeing a lot of really cool old vintage receivers. Back in college I got my dad's old hi-fi gear which was something like a Marantz SR1000 and an old turntable with some floor standing speakers. I used to listen to AM radio a lot through that setup as I couldn't get the turntable working all that great. No idea what happened to all that stuff, but I'm starting to keep an eye out for these.

I've got an old Marantz stereo receiver that probably still works just fine. A lot of this old gear was very solid and straightforward.

 

[László]

Got it hooked up and there's definitely a difference. It's not night and day but it's certainly noticeable. The Schiit Magni sounds cleaner overall with more clarity, seems less compressed or bloated in the bass, and it's less harsh sounding. I feel like I can turn it up louder without being bothered by the sound which might mean it's less distorted.

Increased headroom, similar to a 100W guitar amp vs 15 Watts?

Really intrigued with this, so I'll have to mess around some more with different headphones.

Definitely try a few sets of cans; quite honestly, I was started when I installed the SPL, and your headphone amp sounds like it performs audibly better, too.

 

[László]

While the Fractal and hifi stuff was able to drive the headphones to higher volumes, at the volumes I normally use I just didn't spot any real difference.

There are differences between the headphone amps that come on gear, including the Fractal or hi fi gear, and dedicated models. It's more than volume. Whether the differences matter to you, of course, is personal.